


Abandon Anything But HIM

by EmerialynCodeVenice



Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling, Destructive Builder, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Game Spoilers (of course), HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO MALROTH?, Malroth So Impressed, PTSD, References To Skelkatraz, What Builder Should Have Done, What SHOULD Have Happened In Moonbrooke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmerialynCodeVenice/pseuds/EmerialynCodeVenice
Summary: "The first occupant of your newly built cell has been decided. I'm sorry."Builder wanted to tell Malroth that Moonbrooke's citizens would release him soon, but that was a lie, wasn't it?No, there would be one to stand up for Malroth... unless Builder did it herself.
Relationships: Builder & Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2), Female Builder/Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 164





	Abandon Anything But HIM

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Se7enthColor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Se7enthColor/gifts).



> Okay, the Tags basically say it, but suffice to say I was one of the many people upset with what happened in the Moonbrooke Arc. Like, seriously, even if you're going off logic, Malroth is way too blunt to ever be a traitor. 
> 
> My best friend was particularly upset (her rant texts were wonderful to read) so I've written this! She also mourned the lack of fics for this pair, but it's how it goes despite it being a wonderful (if cracky) game lol. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

"The first occupant of your newly built cell has been decided." Warwick stared at her, expression full of sorrow and regret. "I'm sorry."

A sick feeling formed in her stomach as his words register. Just a moment ago, she had been celebrating another successful creation (something she sorely needed amongst this war and suspicion ever-present in this broken castle), but it was gone.

She wanted to say that she didn't know who Moonbrooke's newest prisoner was... but that would be a lie, wouldn't it?

Still, it left her no more prepared to see Malroth behind bars when she follows Warwick down to the dungeon. He stared at her with a mix of disbelief and betrayal clearly written on his features.

"Why?" He slammed a hand against the metal bars. "Why would you build a dungeon for them to throw me into? Just because they asked nicely?"

She flinched, wanting to refute Malroth's words. Say that she never expected them to put _him_ in there. That she knows things are tense right now, but that she is sure the King will let him out in no time. And yet, she knew that it was all lies.

Before she could think of anything to answer, Malroth turned his back on her.

"I don't want to hear your excuses." His voice was like steel, hard and unflinching. "I don't even want to see your face. I thought... I didn't know you were like this."

There were a million things going through the young builder's mind, but the only thing she could focus on was that _he wasn't looking at her_.

Malroth was **_always_** looking at her. Watching her build. Helping her fight. Cheerfully clapping when she did even mundane tasks like picking up the fiftieth cabbage for the day. Always supporting her in everything she did.

But now... he might be there physically, but he might as well be a thousand miles away. She could try to touch, but her hands would never reach him right now.

The Builder knew that Warwick saying something beside her, but she couldn't hear a single word.

She knew she should leave. There were countless tasks to do and a literal kingdom relying on her to somehow save them all, but... what did it matter if _Malroth_ wasn't with her?

Suddenly, something inside of her _snapped_.

For the first time, she lifted her hammer not to build... _but to destroy_.

She heard someone shout when she brought her hammer down the first time, thought she saw Malroth jump and stare at her incredulously, but once she had started _she couldn't stop_.

Stone by stone, piece by piece, they all fell before her. Her arms worked at a furious pace until there was absolutely nothing left--but even then, she couldn't stop. How could she? How could _they_?

 _This_ was _her_ creation! And they had used it to... _to--_

Then, there was a hand on her shoulder.

She almost threw it off, to yell she was working, when she heard a word--her name.

Yet it wasn't the fact that it was her name, but that there was only one person who spoke her name like that.

 _Malroth_.

The Builder let the hammer slow, finally coming to a stop. It was then that she realized she was panting, sweat dripping down her brow as she heaved for breath. Her arms trembled, but it had little to do with physical excursion.

She felt cold, the sweat on her body rapidly cooling in the cold Moonbrooke air. She idly thought that she should design something to fix that... but there were a lot of things she needed to fix first, wasn't there?

Not looking at Malroth-- _too ashamed to--_ she turned and walked to the stairs, no one speaking or standing in her way as she made her way upstairs.

She had a king to talk to.

o0o0o0o

In the throne room, it seemed every resident of the kingdom was waiting there. They all wore expressions of some king, whether it was disappointment or even fear. Yet, she found herself caring less than ever.

She walked up to the king, staring up at the throne he sat on-- _that she had made for him--_ with a stern expression. "So," he said, tone condescending as ever. "You went against my orders and freed Malroth, destroying my dungeon in the process."

"I'm the one who made it," she said, remaining neutral in the face of all those watching.

"We have the blueprints now," pointed out the king, as if trying to lecture a naive child. Though, with the way she was feeling now, Builder had more respect for many of the small children she'd met on her adventure than this man before her right now. "We could make it and just as easily throw you in."

"It wouldn't be the first prison I escaped from," she said in a deadpan, recalling the inhospitable rock that was Skelkatraz.

But even then, she hadn't lost hope because she'd had _Malroth_. He'd given her his share of food, comforted her nightmares in the pitch dark pit, and remained certain that they would escape even when doubts plagued her.

At the corner of her eye, she could see that familiar purple shirt and spiky black hair, the lover of destruction having remained surprisingly silent this entire time. She was still too afraid to look at the expression on his face, terrified that her betrayal couldn't be corrected. 

It was true that Malroth had been acting... aggressive lately, but how could she have doubted that he was on her side?

"But this time," she continued. "I wouldn't come back."

A hush filled the room as her meaning became clear.

If they tried to detain Malroth again, their Builder would no longer help them.

The king's eyes widened. "You would truly abandon us?"

Her hands tightened, guilt giving way to firm resolve. "Only if you make me abandon him."

Aneesa came forward, face full of anger and disbelief much like Malroth's had been down in the dungeon. Only, Builder found that the purple-haired woman's expression didn't affect her at all.

"Builder," said Aneesa, tone pleading yet stern. "Surely you understand why his actions are suspect! We can't let him walk free--"

"I know what you all think, but Malroth is not a traitor," interrupted Builder, voice ringing throughout the room as all fell silent again. "I will not stand to watch my best friend me treated in such a way when he has done no wrong!"

The king studied her for a moment, their eyes locked as she refused to back down.

Then, he sighed, shaking his head with a disappointment that only served to irritate her further. "Very well. But know that any further mistakes on his part fall squarely on your shoulders."

"Fine." Finally, she glanced in Malroth's direction, only enough so she could grab his hand. He jolted at her touch, but didn't shake her off. "Let's go."

Pulling him from the throne room, she avoided the looks of confusion and dismay. A part of her wanted to apologize, to please them once again, but it was drowned out by the memory of the pain on Malroth's face as he stared at her from behind bars she had designed.

Malroth, for his part, didn't protest her actions. In a matter of minutes, they were in the outskirts of the castle, safely locked inside the room they shared together.

Somehow, the sight of _their_ room, the one she had designed with them both in mind after the events of Skelkatraz, made her heart ache more. If she had left him down there, she would have been returning here alone. No amount of torches could have made up for the warmth, the comfort, of his presence.

Comically, she found herself finally agreeing that the traps she'd designed couldn't begin to compare to the safety that was Malroth.

"Hey..."

Despite the fact that she was still holding his hand, she tensed at his voice. The first thing he'd said since his bitter diatribe down in the _former_ dungeons. She wasn't certain if she was going to get a repeat performance of that, but she knew she owed it to him to listen regardless.

Summoning up her courage, she looked up at him. To her relief, Malroth no longer wore that expression of defeat and hurt. Though, he did stare at her with a cautiousness that she found didn't much prefer either.

"You sure it was okay to do that?" he said finally.

Whatever she had been expecting to hear, that hadn't been it.

She blinked. "I thought you didn't like the dungeons."

"Well, yeah!" he sputtered, rolling his eyes. "But I didn't expect you to... do that!"

To her surprise, he chuckled, the sound making her feel like all the burdens on her back had been lightened--even if just a small amount.

"Was pretty badass though, watching you wreck that dungeon," he continued before his smile faltered. "But not as awesome to see how... upset you were. I've never seen you like that."

After a moment, she shrugged. "What did you expect when I found out my creation was being used to imprison my best friend?"

Immediately, she felt like such a hypocrite. After all, hadn't she been thinking of leaving him down there like that? And, in the past few weeks, she hadn't been acting very much like a friend, had she?

Unable to hold back her shame, she looked down again, tracing the patterns in the floor below them. "Malroth, I... I need to apologize. I know things have been pretty intense lately, but I never should've doubted you."

Malroth shrugged, visibly uncomfortable. "Yeah, well, I guess I can't really blame you. I... did let those men die."

She scowled immediately. "That wasn't your fault."

He shrugged, but it was clear that he didn't feel the same. Drained and not wanting to argue anymore, she couldn't find the words to insist her point.

It was quiet for another moment before he spoke again. "Would've you really have left it they didn't let me go free?" he asked, serious as ever.

Even though she wanted to immediately say yes, she thought about it, treating the question with the respect she knew it deserved. She thought about all the work that she had done since arriving in Moonbrooke. All the hardships and trials that the people here had faced. About how much they obviously still needed her no matter how they acted.

And then she thought of Malroth again, in that cell with no one to defend him.

"Yes," she said, gaze unwavering as she locked eyes with him. "They would've been fine without me, but I wouldn't have been fine without you."

Something like a flush covered Malroth's face before his mouth stretched out in a lopsided grin. "No denying that. You'd be lost without me for sure!"

"I would," she said, heart feeling lighter than air at the return of the easy atmosphere between them. A feeling that hadn't existed between them for a while now, she realized.

Unsurprisingly, Malroth flushed more, petulantly crossing his arms as if upset that she hadn't disagreed. Perhaps she should have. She knew how he liked his arguments.

Finally, he rolled those crimson eyes and tugged her towards the bed, pulling her down with a _flop_. She gave an undignified shriek as she followed, attempting to sit up.

"Malroth," she protested, face red as a tomato even though she didn't know why.

"Shut up," he mumbled, face buried in a pillow as his arm tightened around her waist. "Go to sleep already."

Despite wanting to change into her special-made sleepwear, she smiled knowing that resistance was futile. It always was when it was Malroth.

She settled in beside him, not commenting on the fact that he had a perfectly working bed across from her own and that they hadn't slept together like this since Skelkatraz.

Laying there, listening to the creaks and sounds of movement of the castle above her, she knew that there would be repercussions for this. Primarily that the trust of the Moonbrooke citizens had in her would inevitably decrease after witnessing her public willingness to abandon them.

Not to mention that even though _she_ knew Malroth wasn't the traitor, she doubted anyone else would. They'd be constantly watching them now, whispering behind their backs and maybe even going to great lengths to "prove" how evil he was to her.

But all of that didn't matter as she heard Malroth's breath even out and his determination to keep his eyes shut turned into genuine slumber.

She curled in closer to his body, relishing in the warmth that would have been absent if he had been in that dark cell at this moment instead. Listening to the steadiness of his breath, she let herself be lulled to sleep.

Whatever came next, it didn't matter.

As long as she had him, it would be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> So, again, I mostly just watch my best friend play this game, but I just adore these characters so much. This was both for her and self-indulgent lol 
> 
> Please leave a Comment or Kudos to tell me what you think!


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